Taylor stars as Windies win Series

ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Stafanie Taylor led the way with 37 not out to help West Indies Women clinch their Twenty20 International series against India Women with a six-wicket victory on Thursday.

Taylor, the reigning women’s World Player-of-the-Year, collected just two boundaries from 58 balls, as the Windies Women, chasing 95 for victory, reached their target with three balls remaining in the fourth match at Windsor Park.

“It was basically a matter of playing straight and batting to the end,” she said. “Once I stayed to the end, I knew we would win.

“My mindset was quite clear. I spoke to the coach and he told me not to focus too much on the scoreboard. He told me to focus on being there at the end of the innings and make sure I batted us to victory.”

She added: “Time was not the issue today...There was no pressure to score quickly. We saw India had less than 20 runs in the first six overs when they batted and they ended with close to 100 runs.

“I looked at this and realised you didn’t have to force the pace in the Power Play overs. My only intention was to be there at the end and win the match.”

The result meant that the home team secured an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, which concludes on Monday at Sabina Park in Jamaica.

“This is a great result for the team and I am very happy for everyone in the team,” said Taylor.

“We played very well. We are growing as a team and we are getting the results we deserve for the hard work we are putting in.

“We have done well in the last few years and we believe we will get better and challenge the other teams in the top four rankings.”

Shanel Daley had grabbed three wickets for 14 runs from four overs, as the Indians, sent in to bat, were restricted to 94 for five from their allocation of 20 overs, despite a match-high 49 not out from Mithali Raj.

West Indies Women were then setback early, when opener Juliana Nero was bowled by Jhulan Goswami for two and were wobbling on 41 for three, after Stacy Ann King and Britney Cooper fell cheaply.

But Deandra Dottin came to the crease and slammed two fours and one six in a typically enterprising 26 from 17 balls, sharing 46 for the fourth wicket with Taylor put the Windies Women firmly on course for victory.

Earlier, Daley, the daughter of former Jamaica men’s all-rounder Aaron Daley, bowled Sulakshana Naik for a duck, Goswami for two and had Amita Sharma caught behind for eight, as India Women slumped to 17 for four.

The Windies Women continued to bowl steadily, and though Raj resisted in a stand of 42 for the fifth wicket with Harmanpreet Kaur and 36 – unbroken – with Veda Krishnamurthy, the visitors never fully recovered.

Windies Women won the series opener by eight wickets last Saturday at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, where they lost the second match last Sunday by three runs.

Merissa Aguilleira’s side then won the third T20I by four wickets on Wednesday at Windsor Park. The fifth and final T20 International will be at Warner Park in St Kitts on Monday.

The two teams also play three One-Day Internationals – all at Warner Park – on February 29, March 2 and 4.